José and Juanita Bocanegra are committed to making a positive impact today, and in the future, as part of the Community Foundation’s Bridge Builder society. Inspired by childhood mentors, the Bocanegras are dedicated advocates for the Holland/Zeeland area.
Both José and Juanita were born into migrant families. Juanita’s family traveled back and forth between South Texas and Michigan. “The first year we came to Michigan we arrived with no snow boots and no coats. Community Action House provided some of those items for my family,” she said.
José’s family immigrated from Mexico when he was 16. He and Juanita met during the summer while working at Zelenka Farms and married after her junior year of college. Together, they raised two daughters while Juanita worked and attended law school and José worked at Herman Miller. Jaquelyn is now a senior at Zeeland East. Jasmin works as a CNA and plans on going back to college for a nursing degree.
For Juanita, teachers were influential mentors. She fondly remembers Frank Kraai, an elementary school teacher who encouraged her to believe in herself; Dale Conklin, a middle school teacher who helped coach her through a national writing contest; and Christy Bruns, a high school teacher who spent personal time putting together assignments to mail to Juanita when she was in Texas.
“I had a lot of people telling me, ‘Believe in your dreams, you can do this,’ which was powerful for a migrant child,” Juanita said. For José, the teachers in his ESL class provided the translations and support that allowed he and his brothers to graduate high school.
“Those teachers are the reason we now invest in the community. They showed us that togetherness makes this a great place to live, work, and play,” said Juanita. She and José have taken that example to heart — involving themselves in the community through nonprofit organizations and personal connections with individuals and families who need mentorship and assistance. Each week, Juanita spends time giving back, whether that’s talking to a class at the Careerline Tech Center, providing food assistance to a local family, or attending Board and committee meetings.
Juanita began her involvement with the Community Foundation after law school. She recalls attending Board meetings with her daughter Jaquelyn, juggling the responsibilities of motherhood and service to the community. She credits CFHZ with opening the door for her to become involved on the level she is today by introducing her to organizations, and the people behind them, who were making big impacts in the community.
Joining the Bridge Builder society is a full-circle moment. José said, “We are at a stage in our lives where we can and do support organizations with small financial contributions, but we cannot make as large of gifts as we may like. To us, including a gift to the Community Foundation in our estate plans is the way to create a big impact in the future. Just as others invested in our future, now we can do the same.”
